I wanted to share a little bit of the process of creating my first crystal cluster, which is now featured in my shop. It's one of my favorite new pieces and I hope you guys love it as much as I do!

It started alllll the way back with my Tessellation Series. Found vintage images showing people and their homes are scanned, digitally manipulated, printed out, and then physically sculpted. The Gems and Crystal Clusters use the same basic material as my larger Tessellation Sculptures but sculpted to create something much smaller and sometimes more complex. I love the idea that this found material that celebrates unknown homes and history can be used to create something precious and valuable.

This piece started with a rough paper mock-up. Then I created a digital fold guide in Illustrator, which I used to make a second mock-up. Each mock-up gets more refined, until I feel comfortable using the final materials to create the final version. The printed photographs I use do not react well to over-handling, so it's best to touch it as little as possible. So the final mockup was measured carefully, and my fold guide altered, so once it's printed, all I have to do is follow my fold guide. I love getting to the point of the project where all the decisions have been made, and all I have to do is sit down and cut and score and fold and glue it all together!

This is first in the cluster series. And along with the Gems I've been making, I think I'll be making a couple more! I love working in multiples so you can expect a couple more pieces along these lines! They'll be added to the shop as they're completed! To see more images of this new crystal cluster, check out the Gem project page!